ID THEFT NEWS: WEEKLY UPDATE
Over 10 million consumers a year become victims of identity theft. Fraud victims are denied credit. If fraud victims are approved for credit, then they have to pay higher interest rates! Identity theft victims also get turned down for jobs because of arrests, convictions or other public records in a background report.
What can consumers do to protect their credit reports and their reputation? Federal law provides identity theft victims with rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) 15 U.S.C. 1681, et seq. Under the FCRA, identity theft victims have a right to request two (2) free credit reports every 12 months. Also, identity theft victims can place a fraud alert (90 day and extended) on their credit file. Identity theft victims can dispute credit report errors due to fraud, such as accounts, name variations, public records and addresses. The credit reporting agencies must block fraudulent information from appearing in a credit file after receipt of an identity theft report within 4 business days!
Download the free identity theft affidavit HERE.
Micah Adkins represents victims of identity theft across the country. Here are some of the identity theft stories I am following in Florida, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and across the country.
Florida
Palm Beach, Florida – PBSO seeking help to identity theft suspect
Sun-Sentinel
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies are asking the public to help identify a woman suspected of using a stolen credit card. On October 14, at 8:55 a.m., deputies responded to a vehicle burglary in the parking lot of a plaza at Okeechobee Road …
Tampa Bay, Florida – Tampa car dealer pleads guilty in tax scheme
San Francisco Chronicle
He faces two years on the identity theft charge and up to 20 years for wire fraud. The newspaper reports Simmons was accused to laundering the refunds of fellow identity thieves through Simmons Auto Sales Inc. Information from: Tampa Bay Times
Tampa, Florida – Suspect pleads guilty to federal charges in Tampa tax fraud case
Tbo.com
A tax-refund fraud suspect has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Investigators traced tax returns claiming nearly $9 million in refunds to Internet addresses assigned to the home and business of …
North Carolina
Fort Bragg, NC – Are military personnel vulnerable to ID pay theft?
StandardNet
Identity theft claimed the pay in September for four military personnel at Fort Bragg, N.C., one of America’s largest Army bases. Someone rerouted the soldiers’ monthly electronic deposits onto prepaid debit cards. Was it an isolated breach or the …
Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma – Texan admits identity theft to defraud Tulsa credit unions
Tulsa World
Texan admits identity theft to defraud Tulsa credit unions. By DAVID HARPER World Staff Writer Published: 11/9/2012 5:02 PM Last Modified: 11/9/2012 5:02 PM. A Texas man pleaded guilty in Tulsa federal court Friday to using another person’s Social …
South Carolina
Identity theft scandal
The Herald | HeraldOnline.com
Most South Carolinians no doubt have heard of identity theft. More than a few have had their computers hacked or their credit card information stolen. But now, because of a breach of security at the state Department of Revenue (DOR), millions of …
Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee – BBB Shred Day protects many from identity theft
Memphis Commercial Appeal
On Oct. 20, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) hosted its semiannual “Secure Your ID Day” in the front parking lot of The Commercial Appeal. This free document shredding event was designed to offer consumers and small businesses a safe way to destroy …
National News
Identity Theft Scheme Targets Elderly Woman
NBC Connecticut
A Salisbury woman is facing criminal charges after police say she stole thousands of dollars from a 95-year-old woman she cared for. Watertown police arrested Heather Enslow, 36, earlier this week on identity theft, larceny, and other charges. She was …
How Medical Identity Theft Can Give You a Decade of Headaches
Bloomberg (blog)
Medical identity theft affected an estimated 1.5 million people in the U.S. at a cost of $41.3 billion last year, according to the Ponemon Institute, a research center focused on privacy and data security. The crime has grown as health care costs have …
Are you a victim of identity theft? Do you have credit report errors? Have the the nationwide credit bureaus “verified” fraudulent information and refused to delete the items from your credit reports?
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), consumers have the right to dispute credit report errors. The credit reporting agencies must block information from appearing in your credit report that is the result of identity theft. The credit bureaus must block the information within 4 business days of receipt of an identity theft report. Under the FCRA, you have the right to sue the credit bureaus if they fail to perform a reasonable investigation or refuse to investigate your credit report disputes.
Contact FCRA attorney Micah Adkins 24/7 at 1-800-263-9091 for a free case review and free sample dispute letter.
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